Presently, eye drops come in a variety of dropper bottle shapes and sizes to administer a variety of drops into the eyes of a subject. Those devices typically have a bottle base with a nozzle attached thereto for administering the drops. Although the details may vary, the majority of eye drop bottles effectively have similar shapes, styles, and uses. Products such as Visine®, Clear Eyes® and the like, lead the field with eye drop bottles that have been used for years but are, however, antiquated.
Administration of drops into the eye is not easy with current eyedropper bottles. Most eye drop bottles currently in use are available in sizes that are able to be held in between the thumb and forefinger. The bottle is squeezed so that one or more drops are expelled from the bottle when aimed in the general direction of the eye after the head is tilted back resulting in a drop that hopefully makes its way onto the surface of the eye. If the subject administering the drop has shaky hands, such as in many elderly patients, or the subject having drops administered into his or her eyes cannot hold his head still, such as with a small child, this process can be even more difficult. Thus, presently available eyedropper bottles often result in inaccurate placement of the drop resulting in drops landing on other parts of the body surrounding the eye, on clothes, or elsewhere, which could affect the areas the drops contact. In addition, presently available eyedropper bottles can also result in multiple drops coming out instead of just one, which can cause waste. Another problem associated with presently available eyedropper bottles is the head tilt required by the user to administer the drop tends to be extreme and uncomfortable and can cause one to lose balance. Moreover, the ability to squeeze the bottle while looking up at it to keep it on target is strenuous and then attempting to look away at the right moment so that the eye drop does not hit the pupil is difficult at best. Many users need two hands to administer eye drops to themselves because they operate the eyedropper bottle with one hand while using their other hand to hold open their eyelids to assist them in administering drops onto the surface of the eye.
Previous efforts to improve eyedropper bottles have included attaching various structures to conventional bottles to improve their function. These added structures present additional shortcomings. Some devices utilize complicated mechanical structures to deliver the drop from the bottle onto the surface of the eye. Other devices require assembly onto the eyedropper bottle before use, which means that the user must keep up with the additional components. Also, these structures result in an eyedropper assembly in which the eyedropper bottle is held at a relatively large distance from the eye during use, which can significantly decrease the stability of the eyedropper assembly to the user, especially if the end user has shaky hands or has difficulty holding his or her head still.
Today's eyedropper bottles used with over the counter and prescription medications cause anxiety and or frustration to the end user. A solution to the restrictions, frustrations, discomfort, and waste of today's eyedropper bottles is needed and is hereby addressed with this invention.